Why it won
The SDD Spotlight Award, run with Shop Drop Daily, celebrates ten standout UK retail projects featured on the platform over the past 12 months. Curated by Shop Drop Daily's Tim Nash, the shortlist brought together the projects that generated some of the strongest engagement, conversation and interest across the platform.
The award shines a spotlight on the retailers, brands, agencies and suppliers behind some of the year's most memorable projects. The final decision was placed in the hands of the public, with a record number of votes cast across the Creative Retail Awards and Shop Drop Daily voting portals.
Their choice was The Art of Comfort Experience, Dr. Martens' takeover of Outernet London on Charing Cross Road to launch the Zebzag Laceless boot. It presented comfort as a mindset built on confidence, creativity and connection, not just a product feature.
Outernet became a treadscape inspired by the Zebzag sole, with an oversized sole as seating at high and low angles, product plinths and discovery points, modular spaces to pause and recharge, London street sounds, and content across Outernet's 360 degree screens. Zebzag taxis delivered breakfasts, and visitors could join conversations with Miquita Oliver, Tyson McVey and Sharmadean Reid.
“Winning the first-ever Shop Drop Spotlight Award is incredibly special for our team. It means a lot that the public voted for us, especially as the project was all about creating something people could connect and engage with. The Art of Comfort was a brilliant project to create hand in hand with our fabulous clients at Dr. Martens, and it was lovely to celebrate with them on the night. We’re really proud of what we achieved together, and it’s a great feeling to see the work recognised in this way.”
The project
On the night
Dr. Martens won Store Design of the Year earlier in the evening, then returned to the stage to collect the SDD Spotlight Award.
2026 winners
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